Wiring arrangement for shift register employing magnetic cores



Aug. 8, 1961 J. P. SWEENEY WIRING ARRANGEMENT FOR SHIFT REGISTEREMPLOYING MAGNETIC CORES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 17, 1960 PP/ME (+1PRIME (-1 PULSE 6E IV. (+1

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8, 1961 J. P. SWEENEY 2,995,731

WIRING ARRANGEMENT FOR SHIFT REGISTER EMPLOYING MAGNETIC CORES FiledFeb. 17, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

JOSEPH I? SWEENEY BY M M ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 8, 1961 This inventionrelates to an improved and simplified wiring arrangement and layout fora shift register employing magnetic cores.

An object of this invention is to provide a shift register which can bemore easily wired on a mass production basis than comparable unitspreviously known.

A similar object is to provide a shift register which can bemanufactured in less time and at lower cost than previously knownregisters.

A further object is to provide a register of this kind which can bewired with less chance of error, and which will operate with a higherdegree of reliability than previously known units.

These and other objects will in part be understood from and in partpointed out in the description given hereinafter.

In co-pending US. Patent application Serial No. 855,- 335, there isdisclosed a shift register comprising an array of multi-aperturemagnetic cores arranged in two columns and wired in unique configurationto give a shift register unit which is relatively simple inconstruction, yet highly effective in its operation. The construction ofthis shift register and the way it is operated make possibleconsiderable simplification in the wiring and assembly of the variousparts, but it has been found that further simplification and improvementin the wiring arrangement and general layout are desirable to fullyadapt this unit to mass production.

In this general type of shift register, the cores are in the forms oftoroids with a large central aperture and with additional minorapertures at various points around the body of the toroid. These coresare about the size of a small shirt button and the minor apertures arenot much larger than the size of a needle. Accordingly, a considerableproblem is presented in passing the necessary wires through the variousones of the apertures of the cores. The present invention among otherthings provides a simplified wiring arrangement which nonetheless givesthe improved electrical performance of units disclosed and claimed inthe aforesaid co-pending application.

In accordance with the present invention, three sets of windings, twocomprising advance windings to be energized by short electric pulses,and a prime winding to be energized by direct current, or by a suitablecurrent pulse, are separately wound upon the cores, each Winding being acontinuous strand threaded back and forth in a unique pattern throughrespective apertures of the cores to establish the required turns ratiosfor the winding on the cores. The invention makes it possible for aperson in assembling the shift register to thread each of these windingsin accordance with its predetermined pattern back and forth Withouthaving to make splices or electrical connections at various points inthe Winding. Consequently, the wiring of the unit is con- 2 siderablysimplified and since the number of electrical splices which must be madeis reduced, the reliability of the unit is improved and the danger oferror in manufacture is considerably reduced.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the various windingsare terminated at each end of the unit on posts arranged so that theoutput of one unit can be connected to the input of an identical unit,and so on, to give a shift register of twice, three times, etc., thelength of the original. Thus, starting from a basic shift registerassembly of say 10 bits it is possible simply by connecting two or moresuch units in series to obtain as many bits in a given shift register asdesired. The electrical connections between basic units are quickly andeasily made so that only a single basic one need be manufactured tosupply the needs of many difierent customers.

A better understanding of the invention together with a fullappreciation of its many advantages will best be gained from thefollowing description given in connection with the accompanying drawingswherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a shift register embodying theinvention and showing its actual physical appearance;

FIGURE 2 is a schematic diagram showing several cores of the unit ofFIGURE 1 and various windings thereon;

FIGURE 3 is a schematic diagram showing in shorthand fashion the wiringconfiguration of various windings with respect to the various aperturesof the cores of the unit; and i I FIGURES 4 through 9 show respectivelythe winding sequences and configurations of various windings on thecores and illustrate a preferred procedure followed during the massproduction of these shift register units.

The shift register 10 shown in FIGURE 1 includes an insulating baseboard 12 on which are mounted two parallel and somewhat interleavedcolumns 14 and 16 of multi-aperture cores 18. Column 14 will bedesignated the 0 (odd numbered) cores and column 16 the E (evennumbered) cores. Each core is mounted on edge and projects through acorresponding transverse slot in board 12. Each column of cores isaligned and held in place by a respective one of the flat insulatingstrips 20 and 22 glued to board 12 and passing through the center ormajor apertures of the cores.

At the near or input end of unit 10 are three upstanding electricalterminal posts 24, 26 and 28 rigidly fixed to board 12. As will appear,these posts comprise the input connections to the unit for various drivecurrents supplied from an external power source (not shown) duringoperation of the unit. Immediately behind these electrical posts arethree insulating pins 30, 32 and 34 which serve to support the near endsof the drive windings on the cores. A similar set of insulating pins 36,38 and 40 is positioned at the far end of the core assembly, and nearthe rear edge of board 12 are three conductive posts 42, 44 and 46. Thelatter are normally shorted together by a conductor 48. When desired,however, an identical shift register unit as indicated by dotted linescan be connected in series with unit 10 by removing conductor 48 and byconnecting output posts 42, 44 and 46 to respective ones of the inputposts, corresponding to input posts 24, 26 and 28, of the next unit.Also, as will be explained shortly, the signal output of unit 10 wouldbe connected to the signal input of the next unit.

FIGURE 2 is a schematic circuit representation of the cores and windingsof unit 10. Counting the cores from left to right, the first core 18 isdesignated an core and has an input signal winding 50 passing through aminor aperture 52 of the core and, as seen also in FIG- URE 1,terminating at conductive posts 54 and 56. An

output signal from this core is obtained from a signal.

winding 58 passing twice through a second or output minor aperture 60 ofthe core and encircling once the second core 18, an E core, through itsmajor aperture 62. The latter core is similarly coupled through itsoutput minor aperture 60 to the third core by a signal Winding (notshown), and so on to the end of the register. It should be noted thatsignal winding 58 passes through the major aperture of the receivingcore, an input minor aperture in this core being shown but not used.

The circuit shown in FIGURE 2 includes a first drive winding, designatedADV O to E whose input end is connected to terminal 24 and which isadapted to receive a negative current pulse of relatively shortduration. This winding as indicated also in FIGURE 3, encircles in thesame sense, each 0 core four turns and each E core one turn throughtheir major apertures. The other end of the winding is connected toterminal 42. Similarly a second winding, ADV E to 0, (not shown inFIGURE 2) extends from terminal 28 and encircles each E core four turnsand each 0 core one turn, the other end of the winding ending atterminal 46. Finally, the cores are threaded with a Prime winding,extending between terminals 26 and 44, and which encircles with oneturn, in opposite sense from the advance windings, each major apertureof the cores, and with three turns each output minor aperture. Therelative Winding senses of the advance and prime wind ings are indicatedby the arrows in FIGURE 3. The Prime winding is common to a portion ofthe advance windings and is independently energized, as indicated inFIGURE 3, by a battery in series with an isolating induetor.

It will be noted that the single 0 and E Major turn of the prime windingcancels one turn of the four turn 0 portion of the ADV O to E windingbetween terminals 24 and 42 and the entire single E turn portion. Thusthe net ADVO to E winding constitutes three turns thnough the majorapertures of the 0 cores. Similarly, the net ADV E to O windingconstitutes three turns through the major apertures of the E cores.However, as will appear from FIGURES 4 through 7, this windingarrangement simplifies the layout'of the advance and prime windings andmakes possible the easy interconnection of two or more units insequence.

The physical wiring pattern of the ADV O to E winding is shown in FIGURE4. This winding, on the top side of board, extends from terminal 24 andmakes four turns through the major aperture of the 0 cores, one turnthrough the E cores, and six turns on the outside and is then connectedto terminal 42. The ADV E to O winding, as shown in FIGURE 5 is themirror image of this.

As shown in FIGURE 6, the Prime winding near the major apertures of theE cores, one turn outside of the cores, and'ends at terminal 44. FIGURE8 is a top View of board 12 and shows inpu winding 50 and those of thesignal windings 58 which extend from the O to the E cores. Also shown isan output signal winding 66 which encircles twice the minor outputaperture of the last E core and is connected to terminals 68 and 70 (seealso FIGURE 1). FIGURE 9 which is a bottom view of board 12, shows thesignal windings 58 extending from the E to the 0 cores. The first 0 corehas an auxiliary input winding 72 encircling its major aperture and thelast E core has an auxiliary output winding 74 passing twice through itsminor output aperture. To provide for circulation of the informationstored in the cores, these windings can be connected together bysuitable jumpers, not shown. Where a second unit is connected insequence, output winding 74 of the first unit is connected to the inputwinding of the second corresponding to Winding 72.

In an actual unit, substantially identical to unit 10, which has beenbuilt and successfully operated, each core had a diameter of about Ainch and a body about inch thick in each direction. They were made byGeneral Ceramics Corporation of Keasbey, New Jersey and identified as5209-FG96 material.

The above description of the invention is intended in illustration andnot in limitation thereof. Various changes may occur to those skilled inthe art and these may be made without departing from the spirit or scopeof the invention as set forth.

I claim:

1. An improved shift register comprising two parallel columns ofmagnetic cores each having a central aperture and at least one minoraperture, said apertures of the cores in each respective column beingaligned with each other, a plurality of windings disposed on said cores,said windings including a first advance winding looped in one directiona plurality of times through the major apertures of the cores of onecolumn, and looped once in said direction through the major apertures ofthe cores of the other column, a second advance winding disposed on saidcores symmetrically with the first, a prime winding looped a pluralityof times in the same sense through the minor apertures of said cores andalso looped once in a direction opposite to said one direction throughthe major apertures of said cores, three input terminals connected tothe inputs of said windings at one end of said columns, and three outputterminals connected to the other ends of said windings at the oppositeend of said columns, said output terminals comprising intermediateconnections for said windings whereby said register can be used byitself or connected in sequence with a similar unit.

2. The arrangement as in claim 1 wherein said output terminals areshorted together.

3. The arrangement as in claim 1 wherein said prime winding is connectedin series With each of said advance windings.

4. An improved shift register construction comprising an insulatingbase, two parallel columns of magnetic cores each core having a centralaperture and at least one minor aperture, said cores being mountedperpendicular to said base with the apertures of the cores in a columnaligned with each other, .a first drive winding looped in one directiona plurality of times through the major apertures of the cores in onecolumn, and looped at least once in said direction through the majorapertures of the cores in the other column, said winding having an inputend at one end of said columns and a second end at the opposite end ofsaid columns, a second drive winding disposed in mirror image relationto the first on said cores, and a third drive Winding looped a pluralityof times in the same sense through the minor apertures oi said cores andlooped once opposite to said one direction through the major aperturesof said cores, said third drive winding having an input at said one endof said columns and having .at the other end of said columns a commonconnection to said first and second drive windings.

5. A magnetic core unit of the character described comprising aplurality of multi-aperture magnetic cores, said cores being arranged intwo aligned groups side-byside, each core having a major aperture and atleast one minor aperture, a first drive winding looped a plurality oftimes through the major apertures of the cores in one group from one endthereof to the other, a second drive winding similar to the first andlooped a plurality of times through the major apertures of the cores inthe other group from one end thereof to the other, and a third drivewinding looped through the minor apertures of all said cores and loopedat least once through the major References Cited in the file of thispatent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,823,372 Jones Feb. 11, 1958 2,907,986Rajchman Oct. 6, 1959 2,934,748 Steimen Apr. 26, 1960

